Diwali Of The Underdog

October 27, 2011
I don't know how many times did I type "Happy Diwali" in last two days.  I am wondering what was so happy about diwali? I know i sound very very selfish and negative here. 

While I was dressed up in my anarkali kurta and chudidar, all braced with jhumkis and bangles, walking cautiously in my heels holding my sleek clutch in one hand and a gift wrapped in shiny gift paper, I passed by the press-wali(see meaning below) stationed underneath the staircase of the multi storey flat where our family friend lived.  I had the same thoughts in my mind - What is so happy about Diwali and Diwali gifting?  The eagerness and efficiency with which the middle aged press-wali clad in her simple, unstarched cotton Saree, was ironing the clothes of her clients made me feel so shallow. I was fortunate to be wearing one such dress and not the one ironing it for someone else to shine brightly in the well creased dress done by me.

I lowered my head, thanked God for that for his graciousness that He has bestowed on me and my family.

Back home, when I lighted a diya and a candle outside my home before doing puja performed by my Mother in law, I saw a bunch of rag picker boys. I was surprised to see one of the boys lustily looking at the burning candle.  Confused,  I asked him whether he wanted to steal the candle.  A bright light shone in his eyes and he smiled sheepishly on my question. Seeing a strict look in my eyes, he backed off, but then shot a question on my, to which the only way I could have reacted was a dropped jaw - "aaj Diwali hai?" he asked, meaning "Is it Diwali today?" 

Needless to say that i felt a great pity on the boy who does not even know about the one of the biggest festivals of India.  He added quickly that since he does not have new clothes so he does not know.  Then, I realized,  he was just making a fool out of me. Phew! it's so easy to fool me.  The boy was soon joined by his friends, and they had around 5 or 6 packets of correcting fluids and thinners in their hands. 

Rag- pickers and correcting fluid is one mismatch.  But, I was not surprised.  These young boys like many rag pickers, beggars etc. use them like drugs, to get a high, as an intoxicating agent may be.  They spend their hard earned money in buying stuff to please them for a few hours.  It was Diwali for them, to be able to buy so many bottles at one go.  The bunch of small boys, all dirty and stinking, jumped like monkeys, with their pockets stuffed with red and white packets, and they vanished in a by lane, probably to enjoy their Diwali.

I didn't know should I be happy for them or sad for them.  I don't know....

All I know the boys will be back the next morning, looking for unexploded crackers, match boxes, empty cartons etc on the roads.  They will be equipped with some tool to scrape off the melted wax of candles of Diwali night outside the houses.  I'm sure they would catch hold of some leftover sweet box somewhere on some corner of the colony.

I'm sure about that....

Anyways Happy Diwali guys..... 


RESTLESS

Press-wali - In many Indian cities, some people create small stalls (basically a wooden table and a coal iron) in the lanes and by-lanes of colonies and iron people's clothes for money.  They are commonly known as press wali or press wala.


12 comments:

PK Talli said...

Exactly how I feel! WTF is so good about Diwali? A man, fought for his wife to only ditch her later when questioned about her character....does not make any sense to me! Yet, I sit in Puja for family's sake. Sigh.

BookWorm said...

Hey.. loved this piece..!! you have brought this out beautifully. and i appreciate the empathy that you have shown.. towards the press-wali as also the ragpicker boy... 

yeah.. it is a sad state of affairs with the kind of intoxications that these people indulge in.. for them, even the oil that people leave with the dieties under the peepal tree brings intoxication... petrol is another which these guys are after.. !!! 

Cloudninetalks said...

Touching! For many of us, Diwali means fun and for the unlucky ones, it is just another ordinary day:( As for the little rag pickers- you are right, even i don't feel sad on their plight or angered at their drug abuse...Very thought provoking post!

RESTLESS said...

Tks Cloudninetalks.... i'm glad u could relate to it.

RESTLESS said...

Thanks for ur kind words BookWorm...... Yeah it's a sorry state of affairs... people searching of happiness in material abuse and that too so early in life....

RESTLESS said...

Chintan, 

U know u echo my thoughts! I've written for three consecutive times on Dussehra and how i think its unjustified to burn Ravana effigies while Ram is praised and worshiped for abandoning his wife just becoz he is a king first... OMG!  we think on similar lines!stay in touch!

Shaanmenon said...

For all the legends and the 'Three Hundred Ramayanas' (no pun intended), that we have.. we find Ravana was an avid Shiv Bhakt and took a vow that he will never touch any women without her concent...! so i think that was a remarkable thing about him...I too, believe, as a person, what Ram did was wrong..(in leaving sita upon hearsay) but only as a husband... but. here, one has to take a macro view of the same.. as he is not just a husband.. but he is the King and the Maryada Purushotam... here was a man.. who was not god himself.. but later on became.. who faced extra ordinary situations in his life.. and handled them with maturity and equanimity... yeah.. as a husband he did wrong.. so on an individual level, we can blame him.. just as we can blame Mahatma Gandhi for having ignored his family and children for the greater good of the country...!!! 

Jack said...

Restless,

Read 2 posts now. Thanks for frank review of S B & G. Inspite of disparity each person has own way of enjoying festivals. It is a pity that there is lack of guidance which makes those with impressionable mind choose wrong ways, as shown by those young rag pickers. We ought to give a thought as to how this menace can be overcome. 

Take care  

Towards Harmony said...

This post is so in sync with my mood this diwali season. I wanted this diwali of mine to be a non consumerist Diwali and then I decided I would not buy myself anything, but buy presents for all the people in my life who can't really afford it -  my house help, the woman who collects the garbage and the one who cleans the apartment common space. It was such an amazing feeling - one woman was so moved, we ended up in tears both of us.
Love your thoughts on this.

RESTLESS said...

Hi Prathama!

somehow missed ur comment.

So touched to read it. There are very few ppl who think about doing such things... we are too consumed... to selfish to think about others. Hats off girl :)

tk care

Hindi Sms said...

Thanks for the write up! Also, I noticed that your RSS feeds aren’t working. Could you take a look at that? BTW,Amazing blog!

Reema said...

well I dont pay attention to the legends behind the festivals. Durga puja and diwali being the only two festivals we celebrate in a year, they are very special. Also I feel festivals are good for bringing together families/relatives/friends and for spending some quality time together; especially in today's busy world where everyone lives so far from each other.

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